


Easy Math

by theauthorandtheartist



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Genre: 5+1 Things, Four needs a hug, Four needs all the hugs, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hugs, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, OC NPCs - Freeform, OC minor characters - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, The others are there but just for one chapter, Yaaaaay hugs!, Yaaaaay trauma!, Yaaaay Four!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:13:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26654227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theauthorandtheartist/pseuds/theauthorandtheartist
Summary: What is five times Four?(Or, five times Four needed a hug, and the one time he got one)
Relationships: Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe)
Comments: 97
Kudos: 198





	1. Ten Years Old

**Author's Note:**

> This is a quick story I'm writing to build up motivation and get the brain cells working. Stay tuned!

The Picori Blade was broken. 

The sword that had sealed darkness away for centuries, the sacred heirloom of the royal family, and the one thing between Hyrule and the monsters of the Bound Chest, was broken. Shattered. Splintered into tiny pieces.  _ Gone. _

Link can barely hear King Daltus as he gives him his assignment, nodding numbly when it seemed like he should. Why was  _ he _ going on this quest?  _ Surely _ there were people better equipped than him. He hadn't been able to stop Vaati from taking Zelda, how does the king expect him to get her back? 

Link is shoved out the door, and he begins walking in the first direction he faces. He had no idea where he was going -yet another reason someone else should be in his place. 

A twig snapped beneath his muddy boot, bringing Link back to reality for a moment to take in his surroundings. He had subconsciously walked home. He wasn't supposed to walk home, he was  _ supposed _ to be in the forest by now, probably running for his life. But here he was, home. 

Hissing between his teeth, Link had to physically restrain himself from walking through the door. 

Smoke rose from the forge chimney, signaling his grandfather's whereabouts. The old smithy had opted not to attend the festival this year, saying he'd had a bad feeling. Apparently he had been right. 

His grandpa, who had practically raised him since his mother died and father disappeared. His grandpa, who had always done his best to make sure Link felt safe and secure. His grandpa, who's deep, gravelly voice could soothe the worst nightmare and giant bear hugs could chase away the worst chill. His grandpa, who he was leaving behind without so much as a note. 

Link felt his eyes begin to water. This was madness. He shouldn't be out here. He was just a kid, not a soldier. He wanted to run inside and cry into his grandpa's tunic, to smell the smoke that stuck stubbornly to the fabric and for his grandpa to run his hands through his hair, whispering assurances. He wanted to play in the dirt in the backyard, and fight against the bathtime. He wanted to run and jump and climb and fall and scrape his knee without the threat of world domination looming over his head. Link was only ten and a half years old, for heaven's sake, he wanted to be a  _ kid. _

He sighed, resigning himself. Yes, he wanted to be a kid. But he only wanted to be one  _ with Zelda,  _ who was currently a statue. 

He turned his back to the forge and kept going. 

Briefly, as the door got smaller behind him and the tears in his eyes grew larger, he wondered if his grandpa was alright. Did he know what his grandson had gotten himself into? Link doubted it. If he had, he'd have been dragged back to the forge ages ago, before the king even had the chance to send him on this suicidal quest. 

A suicidal quest that would lead him to Zelda, safe, alive, and not made of marble. He had to remind himself over and over, to stop himself from sprinting to his room. 

What kind of choice was this, between his grandfather and his best friend? 

Link sighed, adjusting his little bag of meager supplies that was supposed to last him the whole journey. He knew his decision. His grandpa would still be here when he returned, so maybe he could bear it just this once. For Zelda. It wasn't like this adventuring thing would become a habit, right? 

He would hug his grandpa when he returned. 


	2. Sad House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW minor character death

"Link, are you in here?" Zelda's voice calls from beyond his bedroom door, muffled but still noticeably concerned. A series of rapid knocks follows, as the princess repeats her question. 

Link lay face down on his bed, black tunic rumpled and wet with tears. He didn't respond, opting instead to bury his blonde head deeper under the pile of blankets and pillows that he'd constructed into his "sad house." 

Normally the sad house worked, but not this time. This time he was beyond the sad house's calming capabilities. Why? He wasn't just sad this time, he was  _ miserable.  _

__ He'd only  _ just  _ returned home after freeing Zelda and sealing Vaati at last, looking forward to resting his aching feet and telling his grandpa all about his adventure. Only, when he got to the forge, his grandpa wasn't there. His grandpa wasn't  _ anywhere. _

After hours of searching, he learned that his grandpa was dead.

His old heart -that Link had been repeatedly assured was perfectly alright- had finally given out around three weeks into his trip. Link hadn't even known. In respect, the townspeople had lovingly postponed the funeral until the day he returned: today. 

The room temperature dropped several degrees as the wind blew through the open window, but Link did not bother grabbing another blanket. Zelda gave one last knock, then left to search for him elsewhere. She'd be looking for quite a while. 

Flopping over onto his back, he eyed the sheet of paper that contained his funeral speech. He would need to leave soon and speak to the masses about his grandfather's good life. 

Honestly, why  _ he _ was doing it and not Ms. Sherry, the baker, he had no idea. She and his grandpa were good friends, best friends, even, and Link was just a bad grandson who didn't even bother saying goodbye. 

He wished Ezlo was here, then at least he'd have  _ one  _ grandpa to comfort him, but no. Ezlo had to go back through the Minish Gate, and leave him here, grandpa-less and miserable. 

Zelda called again from downstairs, still searching. He should probably get up now before he's late for the funeral. Fingers closed around the center of the cursed sheet of paper, crumpling it as he sits up. His sad house falls limply to the floor. He'd clean it up later. 

Zelda yells his name more forcefully from the stairwell, and Link smoothes out his midnight tunic as he pushes open the door and wipes the redness from his eyes. 

His speech would be a tearful one, woven with regrets. 


	3. Moving Day

"No." Link stood with his arms crossed, glaring at his best friend. 

"Link, this is a good thing! We found your father, you should be happy!" Zelda waved her arms around to punctuate her point, but he would not be moved. This forge was his home. He would not leave it. 

"No." He repeated. 

It had been four months since the funeral, within which Link had finished teaching himself to smith (with the help of the Minish, of course), opened a small shop in his living room, and barely managed to pay rent. He was eleven years old and paying rent. Did no one have a problem with that? 

Apparently someone did, but now that they were actually going through with plans to make him  _ not  _ pay rent, he wanted them to stop. He could take care of himself. He saved Hyrule, for pete's sake, he could manage a storefront. 

Nevertheless, their plan was to have him move into the castle barracks with his father (who he'd never met, and who had not shown any inclination towards even wanting to meet him) and become a knight. 

He'd stick with the blacksmithing, thank you very much. 

"Link, you don't have much choice." Zelda hissed, fists balled at her sides. "Everything is already set up, a room is ready, and your father is eager to meet you. He thought you were  _ dead,  _ for goodness sake, at least let him  _ see _ you." 

Turning away, Link tried to hide the frown on his face to no avail. Zelda saw it anyway, setting a hand on his shoulder with a sigh. "He's waiting for you at the bakery. Ms. Sherry is making you both some pastries as we speak. Just...think about it." 

Light footsteps left the room, but Link didn't look up. He knew she would be back to check on him soon enough, and probably remind him to consider the offer. He knew she was trying to help, but...but…

His lack of an argument was worrying. Maybe he should actually consider- No! No. He wasn't leaving, and he didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to think about it. He  _ didn't want to think abou- _ He thought about it. 

The walk to the bakery tense and riddled with anxiety, and Link finally pushed open the door with a grimace on his face. The bell chimed cheerfully as Ms. Sherry waved from behind the counter. "Oh! Link! You're right on time! Mr. Faron is waiting at the reserved table for you." 

"Thank you!" He chirped, sounding much more peppy than he actually felt at the moment. 

The reserved table was near the back of the bakery, usually kept open for young lovers and old anniversaries. Lights on strings hung over the large window, illuminating the round table with a cheery light. A minish gave him a thumbs up from behind a flower pot before ducking out of view. Link spared it a smile but otherwise didn't respond, turning his attention to the man who was supposedly his father.

The man seated at the booth was...not what he'd expected. A scruffy beard streaked with white framed a kind face wrinkled with smile lines. Greying blond hair drooped in front of his striking blue eyes, holding a nervousness that Link couldn't help but mirror. He was in full plate armor, for some stupid reason, and his foot tapped rhythmically under the table. A long red cape draped over the seat beside him, being wrung by large, calloused hands. 

The man didn't seem to notice him, too absorbed in twisting his cape. Link cleared his throat, standing in the doorway, and the man jumped to attention. 

If it was possible, he seemed to grow even  _ more  _ nervous than he already was, the sheen of sweat reflecting off his forehead. "Oh! Hello, I didn't see you there." He smiled, rising from his seat and taking a step forwards. As he stood, Link suddenly noticed the huge sword that leaned against the wall beside him. His fist tightened on the hilt of his own shortsword, Not a great sign. 

The man seemed to debate how to greet him, first holding out his arm to ruffle Link's hair then changing his mind to a handshake which morphed into an awkward wave. "My name is Chain. Chain Faron. You must be Link!" 

"Yes." He nodded awkwardly, fiddling with a strand of his hair. He hated this. He wanted to go home. 

A pregnant pause followed, until Mr. Chain stood to the side and gestured towards the booth. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's sit down for a while." 

Nodding, Link sat, ignoring the growing feeling of dread that settled in his gut. Two hours of small talk followed, in which Mr. Chain tried way too hard to connect with him. He appreciated the effort, but the execution was lacking. 

Ms. Sherry brought out cookies for them to share while they talked, and Link quickly distracted himself with snickerdoodles. A few of his cookies held kinstones in them, which he would need to compare to the rest of his collection when he got back home. 

"Now then, I think it's about time we addressed the elephant in the room." Mr. Chain sighed, wiping crumbs from his whiskery chin. "I have a room set up for you at the barracks, and as much as I  _ want _ to give you a choice in this, the Princess is adamant that you move in. I will make sure no one buys or demolishes your forge in the meantime." 

Link bristled, opening his mouth to complain between bites. Mr. Chain beat him to the chase, however, and he didn't get much more than a livid "I-" before he was cut off. 

"I know you don't want to, but at least give it a try, please." He stood, grabbing his sword and slinging it over his back. "I will be waiting for you tonight at the barracks, I suggest you go home and pack up." 

Link watched him make towards the door with a glare, but Mr. Chain paused in the opening, speaking softly over his shoulder. "And Link...I'm glad I got to finally meet you. When your mother died, I was...I thought…" He turned away. "Nevermind." 

As Mr. Chain finally left the room, Link slumped back in his seat, trying to sort things out. He was going to have to move into the barracks, that much was for certain. Already, he found himself dreading the forseable future, living in an unknown place with unknown people and a man who was  _ supposedly  _ his father. 

Link wasn't sure if he liked Mr. Chain. Just from this first meeting, he could tell he was a duty-driven man, who absolutely  _ loved _ rules and regulations. That was a huge conflict of interests that would probably not lead anywhere good. 

He would probably warm up to him, Link assured himself, but it would take a  _ long  _ time before he ever called him "dad." 

Sinking lower in his seat, Link covered his face with his hands and groaned. He didn't want to move, neither from his house nor from this spot.

He would have been perfectly content to sit there at the booth forever, but Ms. Sherry ushered him out early so she could serve the next reservation -a young couple who Link recognised from down the street. 

In hindsight, he probably should have put up more of a fight when leaving, but he feared what would happen if he denied Ms. Sherry. To be completely and totally honest, she scared him. Her ladle was lethal, and he did  _ not  _ want to be on the receiving end. 

If he  _ had  _ put up a fight (ladles aside) it would've taken longer to get back to the forge, and thus he wouldn't be standing in his bedroom with an empty bag, procrastinating. Packing his things was going to be  _ hell. _ Not just because there was so much of it, but also because he wasn't sure he could put a single thing in that stupid bag without bursting into tears. 

This was his  _ home.  _ He'd lived here with his grandpa ever since he was born. Leaving was simply something that had never occurred to him until now. 

He picked up his favorite hat from the floor -the one with the bauble on the end that reminded him of Ezlo- and put it in the bag. 

Logically, he knew crying was useless. It wasn't like the house was  _ gone _ , he just wouldn't be living there for a little bit. It would still be there when he eventually managed to convince Zelda to let him move back, so why was he crying? 

_...why was he crying? _

With a heavy heart and an unanswered question, Link continued packing his many belongings with the help of the local Minish. The walk to the barracks would be a long and dismal one. 


	4. Loud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Four Sword awaits. >:3

~~He~~ They plunged the Four Sword back into its pedestal with a grunt, wincing as four bodies finally became one. Vio had said beforehand that the transformation would be painful, but he hadn't specified exactly _how_ painful, and now they all wished they'd asked. 

~~RedBlueGreenVio~~ collapsed onto the marble tiles as their insides finally aligned themselves into their proper configurations. Their throat burned as they screamed voicelessly, the pain too much for their voice to convey. Several voices both inside and outside their head screamed incomprehensible phrases that they didn't spare the brainpower to decipher. 

Why was everything so _loud?_

Why couldn't they _move?_

What was _happening?_

They felt Zelda's arms around their torso, hauling up onto his shaking, sore legs. A fresh wave of agony ripped through their body, sending them convulsing to the pristine, utterly _blinding_ white floor. It lasted for forever, it felt like, leaving them curled on the tile with their hands woven tightly in their messy hair. 

Then, it faded all at once, and they managed to open their tired eyes at last. Their best friend's face came into focus, worry marring all of her features. She was saying something, but he couldn’t hear what. They couldn't hear much of anything. 

Wait -there was something- some quiet noise breaking through the static...what was it? 

_Voices._

So many voices. Cutting through the silence, talking on top of each other, arguing, celebrating, _talking._ Their hands clapped over their pointed ears, face twisting into a pained grimace. They couldn't hear anything but the voices, and it was _awful._

They just wanted them to go away.

They just wanted them to be quiet.

They just wanted them to- 

" _Shut up!"_

They tightened their hands over their ears, shaking their head side to side with tears streaming down their cheeks. "Shut up shut up shutupshutupshutup!" They yelled, over and over again with some futile hope that the voices would _leave them alone._

Silence. Pure, blissful silence. 

"...Link?" 

They peeked their eyes open once again, hands still clamped firmly over their ears. Zelda sat on her knees, hand resting on their shoulder 

"...Link, what's wrong?" 

The burning pain had numbed by now, from a surge of agony to a dull ache. They sat up, wincing as their joints cracked. "I-we-they-" they stopped. Why couldn't they talk correctly? 

_What was going on?_

The Four Sword. That's what did this. It broke him apart and failed to put them back together. So they had four personalities in their head now instead of one. They couldn't figure out how they felt about that. Happy? Angry? Annoyed? Relieved? There was too much going on. And it's all that stupid sword's fault. What use is a magic sword if it doesn't do its job?

They blinked, and Zelda was still staring at them in expectation, a concerned expression on her face. Not trusting themselves to speak, they nodded jerkily. 

"Do you want to get up?" 

Yes. No. Maybe. Not really. _So many arguments._

They didn't respond, so Zelda took charge, pulling them up once again onto dangerously wobbling legs. "Where do you want to go?" 

"Home." 

There was no argument on that point. 

As they stumbled out the door of the sanctuary, a flash of black caught their attention. Their shadow, cast behind them by the fading light, mimicked their movements exactly. This small tidbit of information was enough to send their already reeling mind into another cascade of screaming and contrasting opinions. 

They were angry. Nervous. Indifferent. Guilty. _All of the above_. Too many emotions to count bombarded their fragile psyche and caused them to groan out loud from the sudden migraine. 

Four memories of the same traumatizing event from four different perspectives were hard to sift through, and, all in all, just ended up mushing into a hazy, blurry, distant dream. Their entire adventure from when they pulled the sword was nothing more than a confusing blob of conflicting memories. This was going to take some getting used to.

They hoped this wasn't permanent, but on the off chance that it _was_ , they needed to figure out some sort of system for this new predicament. They couldn't _function_ like this, let alone live a semi-normal life. 

Heh. Normal. That's funny.

The voices began to argue again, the migraine that had previously formed growing to tremendous proportions. 

"Stop it." They whispered under their breath, earning a concerned glance from Zelda. 

"Are you sure you're alright? The sword didn't do anything long-lasting to you, did it?" She asked, still leading them gently from the sanctuary. 

"Uuuuhhh…" Four opinions made themselves known, all contrasting and making it hard to think. 

Wrong answer. "What's wrong?" 

_"Be tactical about this. Don't drop any bombshells, take it slow."_ Their conscience advised, its presence a sturdy contrast to their raging emotions. 

But then again, they'd gotten a lot done before by being blunt.

"The sword didn't work. There's still four of us." 

Nailed it. 

A deep breath was taken by the princess. And another. And another. Her hands clasped together in a silent prayer. "Alright. Alright! This is _fine,_ there has to be some logical reason why it didn't work. Until we figure out what it is, I'm going to take you four home until you figure out how to function properly again." 

And with that, Zelda set off, dragging them -still shaky, unsure of how to walk- down the path back to Hyrule town. The princess ran through various plans of action, oblivious to her partner's utterly confused state. "If there's any consolation, I can alert the guards to move you back into your old forge. That way you don't have to worry about people watching you adjust. Plus, the house has already been paid off, so you won't have to worry about paying rent at fourteen." 

Well, at least _one_ good thing came out of this awful situation. 

Zelda led them away, out of the sanctuary and into the forest. They had a long journey ahead, and learning how to walk without stumbling was high priority. 

And if their shadow moved on its own in the quickly fading sunlight, then none of them managed to spot it.


	5. Bagels and Bichots

"I'll have a…" They stood in front of the bakery counter, trying to sort their thoughts into ones of decision, as opposed to the chaos that usually raged through their head. They were sixteen today, technically an adult now, and were hoping to celebrate with a slice of cake. Wait, no, a muffin. A croissant. Kringle. _Something sweet._

Mrs. Sherry's newlywed husband, Mr. Cori, tapped his fingers on the register, a bored expression on his face. "Come on, kid, there's people in line." 

A blush formed on their cheeks, and they blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "A bagel." 

Voices screamed their oppositions. 

"Two bagels." 

"Alright kid," Mr. Cori punched some buttons on the machine. "What kind of bagel." 

Blueberry. Cinnamon. Plain. Rasin. "Everything." 

"Sounds good, your total is four green rupees." 

They fumbled as he pulled the desired currency out of his pouch, handing the gemstones over quickly and taking his bag of pastries in return. "Thank you" 

They flashed a big smile, and noticed Mr. Cori's lips turn upwards just slightly. Mission accomplished. That man didn't smile nearly enough, and they couldn't even imagine how he ended up married to the ray of sunshine that was Mrs. Sherry. 

They nibbled on the edge of one of their bagels, a small skip in their step that absolutely was _not_ approved by three of their four aspects. Red was nothing if not persistent. 

"Hey!" Someone called out to them from behind, and they spun around to see who it was, their mouth still full of heavily seasoned bread. Quite the look of a hero. 

A young boy, a few years younger than them, was running up the path, dragging his utterly exasperated parents behind. Uh oh, they looked rich. Rich people always had high expectations. They didn't feel like disappointing anyone on their birthday, but it would be rude to run away. 

Guess they were doing this, then. 

Sorry kid.

Said kid skidded to a stop, expensive blue tunic flapping in the light breeze. "You're Link, the hero, right?" 

They had to stop themselves from wincing. They hadn't truly been Link in a _long_ time. Still, they hadn't yet picked out a new name for themselves, so Link it was. 

"Yup," they put the half-a-bagel back into the paper bag for later. "What can I do for you?" 

"Mom, Dad, look! I told you he lived here!" The child began to bounce up and down on the balls of his feet, "My new neighbor is a real life hero!" 

The smile on their face faltered for a minute, as all four of them took in what had just been said. They didn't remember ever hearing about a new neighbor…

The father scooped up his son, shooting an apologetic look to them. "Yes, that is very nice, now we should probably-" 

His wife, who was dressed much more handsomely than her husband, pushed him aside and loomed over them with a dangerously calm demeanor. A bead of sweat trickled down their collar. "So this is the hero everyone in this goddess-forsaken town has been blabbing about. Huh, I thought he'd be more...heroic looking." 

Their face blanked as their mind erupted with emotions. They were livid. No, they were horrified. Wait, saddened. Resigned. _Who knows anymore._

The woman wasn't done, speaking as if he wasn't even there. "He looks like he hasn't had a proper meal -or wash, for that matter- in weeks! If I didn't know better, I'd have mistaken him for a street rat! Oh! And he's so _tiny!_ If you ask me one shouldn't be even considered for the hero title if they're not at _least_ six foot three." 

Oh, they were going to be _wonderful_ neighbors. 

Despite the growing knot in their chest, a smile was forced. "I'm sorry my stature isn't-" 

"What? Speak up, boy, I can't hear you when you mumble. Honestly, even his _voice_ is squeaky." 

"I-" 

"And what did you do again? To be called a hero, I mean." 

They swallowed the retort on their tongue, suppressing the two aspects who wanted to throttle her. "I forged the Four Sword and used it to seal and kill Vaati." They answered, voice flat and expressionless. 

The husband and child cowered behind the large woman, the man gesturing frantically for them to stop talking unless they had a death wish. Opps. 

"Vaati? That purple magician twink? What's so special about that? After all, I heard _you_ were the one to release him in the first place!" She pointed an accusatory finger at them.

This was not leading anywhere good. 

"Well-" 

"Oh please." She interrupted once again. "Honestly, it's the oldest trick in the book. Release an evil, defeat said evil, get hailed as a hero forever. It's not _real_ heroism, just incredible acting skills and a whole lot of nerve. You do realize several people lost their lives, correct?"

"Yes, I am _well aware_ of _exactly_ who lost their lives." They hissed. "And if you'd excuse me, I'd like to be on my way. I am sorry you feel that way." 

Head reeling, they spun on their heel and continued back to their forge, bagel back in their hand. Comfort food was a major priority right now. 

The woman was still talking, calling after them as her family pulled her back into town, but they weren't listening. Too busy sifting through emotional sand to care. 

At first, they were angry, courtesy of Blue. But soon that anger fizzled out into something akin to sorrow.

...did some people actually think that?

Did _most_ people think that, and were too polite to tell them? 

Did _everybody_ think that?

The paranoia was strong. So strong, in fact, that one could even say it was multiplied by four. 

Heh. Four. 

They finished off the last bite of their first bagel, and opted to save the second one for when they got home They weren't too hungry at the moment. 

Shaking their head, they set off towards the castle. Zelda said she had something special planned for his birthday today, so they could postpone their crisis until later. 

When he returned home that night, Penelope Bichot would be waiting just next door to speed said crisis along. Just like she would be the next day. And the next. And every day after that. 

They didn't leave the house much anymore. 


	6. At Long Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five plus Four equals fluff, apparently. 
> 
> TW for mentions of divorce, and themes of child abuse. 
> 
> (This chapter took so long, and became so long, that it's longer than all five other chapters combined.)

It had been four months. Four months since their sixteenth birthday, and three months since they were dragged on this quest. Not that they were _complaining_ , no, quite the opposite actually. 

They loved their new family, every single part of them. Time was basically grandpa 2.0, and Twilight was determined to follow in his footsteps. They were one of the youngest in the group of heroes, but they found they didn't mind. Warriors and Sky had both -independent of each other- made it their personal mission to be the honorary parents of them, Hyrule, and Wind. Wild too, but that situation was a bit trickier. 

Legend, however, was weird. They could never figure out whether he was in "big brother" or "sarcastic shit" mode. One minute he'd be snarking with Warriors, the next, he'd be shooting concerned and almost _scared_ glances at the back of their head when he thought they weren't looking. They still loved him anyway. 

After all, it was Legend who had given them their new name, one that they all miraculously agreed on: Four. 

Yeah, you could say they liked it. Just a little. Just a tad. Just so much as to _bring them endless joy whenever they heard it_. 

...Just a teensy weensy bit. 

Four (the pure glee they felt at the mention of that name was astounding) had just returned to the camp they'd helped make in Wild's hyrule with an armful of firewood when the portal appeared. If this was four months ago, they'd be freaking out right now, but this wasn't four months ago, and random portals of darkness spawning on their bedrolls was now a common occurrence. 

"Who's Hyrule do you think we'll go to next?" Wind asked them, busy rolling up his sleeping bag. 

That was quite the question. "Well, we've already been to Time's, Twilight's, Legend's, Sky's and now Wild's, so we have a lot of options left." They dropped the wood near the edge of camp and began to fold their spare tunic. "Personally, I'm hoping we end up in Warriors', just so I can compare techniques with the royal blacksmiths.." 

"Yeah!" Wild grinned from beside them, an unholy amount of cutlery disappearing into his slate. "I wanna jump off the tall tower!" 

"No one is jumping off any towers." Twilight smacked the back of his protégé's head. "Not on my watch." 

"You're no fun." The champion pouted, clipping his slate back to his belt and standing up. "I'm done, does anyone else need help packing?" 

"I do!" Legend called, grunting as he struggled to hitch the clasp on his overflowing pack. 

With months of practice under their belts (and quite a bit of magic), the group of heroes finished packing their things and entered the swirling gate of void. In an instant, familiar trees and familiar houses met their vision, and their heart sunk. It wasn't _bad_ , per say, that they were in their own world, but they'd been looking forward to seeing the other time periods, and in comparison theirs wasn't that interesting. 

"Who's world is this?" Time asked from up front, eye narrowed at the surrounding foliage. 

They raised their hand. "Mine. Hyrule Town should be right over that hill, and we can spend the night at my house." They paused for a moment, collecting their many thoughts. "I can also fix up any broken equipment you might have, considering it's not completely beyond repair." They directed that last bit at the champion, who was busy taking a picture of a bush. 

"That would be nice." Warriors rotated his shoulder, where the pauldron was dented and scratched from their latest battle. He'd taken a nasty hit from a stalfos, and had that armor not been there, would probably have lost his arm.

Hyrule smacked his hand away from the injury. The traveler had nearly exhausted himself healing that shoulder, and made it extremely clear that he would not take kindly to his hard work being ruined.

As Four led the charge out of the Minish Woods and into town, a couple of wayward townsfolk waved hello. Mr. Cori and Mrs. Sherry, having spotted them down the road, beckoned them over to the shop window. 

They left the group behind and ran up to the baker family, earning a Sherry trademark hug in reward. "Link! You're back! It's so good to see you!" 

They laughed, despite having the life crushed out of them, and squirmed their way out of her grip. The others looked on in a mixture of sly amusement and badly-hidden laughter. "Actually, Mrs. Sherry, could you please call me Four now?" 

"Oh! Of course, Four, thank you for telling me. I'll spread the word through town as well." She patted him on the head and turned towards wind. "And who are these fine young men? This one's just so cute!" 

Horrified, Wind tried to hide behind Time, but no one escapes Mrs. Sherry for long. His pained and indignant cries echoed through the square. 

They smirked, look who's laughing now. 

A snapping noise caught their attention, and Wild lowered their shikah late, grinning. They would have to ask for that picture later.

"Hi Mrs. Sherry, Mr. Cori, it's nice to see you guys again." They smiled, and Mr. Cori set a hand on his shoulder. The man had really opened up over the past few months, and Four considered him one of his closest friends. 

Mr. Cori gestured to the group. "It's nice to see you too, Li- Four, but I'm afraid you haven't answered Sherry's question." 

Time stepped forwards, hand outstretched. "I am Time, and this is Twilight, Legend, Sky, Warriors, Hyrule, and Wild. The one with your wife is Wind. It's a pleasure to meet you." 

"And you as well!" Mr. Cori shook Time's hand and turned to the others. "Can we interest you in some baked goods? On the house, of course, any friends of Four's are friends of ours." He turned to his wife, who was still smothering their screaming sailor. "Come on, Sherry, let the poor boy go." 

Wind was dropped to the floor, legs crumpling beneath him as he gasped for air. Mrs. Sherry clapped loudly, hopping up and down in excitement. "Oh yes! You simply _must_ try our new strawberry tart recipe! Come, I will grab some from the kitchen." 

"Unfortunately, madame, we cannot stay to chat. We have been traveling for a long time, see, and were hoping to stay at Link's house for the night before being on our way." Warriors pulled Wind to his feet as Mrs. Sherry waved her hand dismissively. 

"That is no problem, you will just have to eat them to go!" Giving her husband a peck on the cheek, she disappeared into the bakery. 

While they waited, conversation broke out amongst the links, topics ranging from magic items to bokoblin camps. Mr. Cori stood rather awkwardly to the side, and Four decided now was as good a time as any to catch up. 

Mr. Cori beat him to it, however, starting up their small talk with a question. "So, you're heading back home?" Mr. Cori asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe. 

"Yes." They nodded, "I was hoping to get some work done before we need to leave again." 

A strange, almost pitying look passed across Mr. Cori's face, just as Mrs. Sherry reappeared and began to hand out pastries. "Alright, I have to warn you, however, Penelope is in one of her moods."

Oh shoot, they'd forgotten about Penelope.

"Is there a reason? Or is she just cranky again." They asked, pointedly ignoring the intrigued look that Legend threw his way when he was supposed to be listening to Wild's story. 

Mr. Cori grinned dangerously, leaning in close and speaking in a hushed tone. "I don't know for sure, but there's been rumors that her husband has filed for divorce. No one in town can confirm it, since everyone has been avoiding that area all week." 

Mrs. Sherry laughed over her shoulder, placing a fresh tart into the palm of Hyrule's waiting hand. "It's about time. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner! That woman is a menace to society, that's what she is." 

"Um, who is?" Twilight asked through a mouthful of tart just as Four nodded their agreement. 

"That's not a very kind thing to say…" Hyrule nibbled his own pastry, previous conversation long forgotten. 

"No, it's not…" Time's disappointed stare leveled at Four, who tried _very hard_ not to flinch. 

They put their arms up placatingly, taking a nervous step back. "Don't look at me, I didn't say anything." 

"You didn't disagree, though." 

"That's different." 

"How?" 

"It's-" 

Warriors cut them off, crossing his arms in what would have been an imposing manner, if he hadn't had strawberry all around his mouth. "You still haven't told us who you're talking about." 

Mr. Cori shook his head, pulling Mrs. Sherry back towards the bakery door. "I'm going to leave this to you, Four, we need to get back to the storefront." 

"It was nice seeing you!" Mrs. Sherry waved as her husband dragged her into the building and out of sight. 

Seven and a half pairs of eyes all landed on Four. "So?" Legend prompted, "who's the bitch?" 

Of course, they _could_ just tell them and save themselves a lot of trouble later, _or_ they could _not_ tell them and enjoy their reactions. They put it to vote, and not telling them won three against one. Vio wasn't salty at all. 

"You'll see." They smirked, spinning on their heel and sauntering down the road. 

Mr. Cori beckoned Time over from the window, and Legend followed him, leaving the rest to follow Four. They didn't notice, too far up the road to hear what was being said. 

Small talk caused the long walk to feel shortened, crossing the town to feel like crossing the backyard. Most of said small talk revolved around Penelope, but Four kept it so vague (they were not keen on sharing the painful parts of their life, and all the parts with Penelope were painful) that they eventually gave up on getting any information out of him. 

Soon, they came to the dirt road that led to their tiny neighborhood on the very edge of town. All doors were closed and all shutters were drawn, save for the single, gaudy, proud mansion on the very end of the street.

Penelope, when she'd first moved in, had wasted no time in tearing down the century-old cabin that used to stand there and replacing it with this hot pink monstrosity. At the time, Four had been saddened, but not very affected by the loss of the old house. But now, after visiting Sky's tiny excuse for a kingdom and seeing the small, _utterly identical_ cottage that he'd called home, they felt its absence more potently. 

The grimace on the Chosen Hero's face as he surveyed the oldest neighborhood in Hyrule showed that he felt it too.

"Okay, so, this is my house." They sighed on the front steps. "Try to be quiet while entering, I really don't have the patience to deal with Penelope right now." 

They really didn't. Blue was especially irritable today, and they weren't sure they would be able to stop him before he made them sock the lady across the mouth. 

"Huh?" A small, dangerous smirk flitted across Wind's lips. _"What did you say?"_ He yelled, scaring several birds from the tree branches. 

Four whirled around, just in time to see a light turn on in the pink mansion. "Shit. Shitshitshit. Now you've done it, you've woken her up." 

"But it's like, noon." Twilight stated, as Four all but shoved everyone through the door. 

"So? She doesn't care!" 

Wild refused to enter the house, wanting to see what Four was so worked up about, but they weren't having any of that. In one movement, they picked up the champion bridal-style and threw him through the door into Warriors' arms. 

"Look, you can watch through the windows, but _please for the love of Hylia_ leave this to me." They slammed the door between them and locked it before any of the heroes could respond. 

Another, bright blue door flung open behind them. "Who the _fuck_ is yelling like that at _this_ hour?" 

Penelope Bichot stood in the doorway, large frame only covered by a fluffy purple bathrobe. Her face, while ugly on a good day, looked absolutely horrendous without the half-ton of makeup she normally wore. Her hair was still up in its curlers, some of which were falling out onto the porch. 

If Four were still ten years old, they would have burst into tears right then and there. But they weren't, so they didn't, and settled for merely a wince. 

They could feel the other's stares boring into the back of their head as they stepped away from the safety of their front door. "Uh, hi Penelope, I'm sorry about tha-" 

"That's _Mrs. Bichot_ to you, boy." 

"...Right, Mrs. Bichot, I'm sorry about th-" 

"And was that _you_ who made that ungodly noise?" 

"Well, no but-" 

"Who was it then?"

"You see, my friend Wind-" 

"Oh? So you have friends now. Hylia must have reached far into her bag of miracles for _that_ one." 

They gave up trying to explain themselves, opting instead to grin and bear it like they always did. The three more emotional aspects shoved Vio to the front. The mental beatings always went by faster when they didn't give her more material to work with. 

She sniffed, turning her nose up in the air. "I'm assuming by the fact that I haven't seen you in months that you've gone off on another 'adventure,' as you call it. What is it this time? Did you resurrect Vaati from the grave? Release Demise from his bindings? What is this new evil you brought upon us that we are supposed to thank you for?" 

They didn't answer, and she _growled_ at them, the similarities between the woman and the common bokoblin growing greater by the second. "Answer me when I ask you a question, boy." 

No response was given, as Four became very interested in a cockroach crawling across his boot.

"Are you simply stupid? Is that it? Did your idiot father drop you on your head? Is that why you can't follow the simplest instructions? Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if that grandpa of yours is rolling in his grave, having _you_ as a charge." 

They flinched, and she smiled, stepping closer. _Too close_. 

The door handle rattled. 

"Oh? I apologize, did I hit a nerve?" 

They did not respond. They would not respond. They _would not respond_. 

Oh, how badly they wanted to respond. 

Blue shoved Vio to the side, and Four felt their chances of making it out of here unscathed disappear into the wind. Their fists clenched. "You say things like that, and yet you wonder why your husband left you? It seems I'm not the only idiot standing out here." 

She took a step back, face morphing from shock to rage in an instant. "Why you- hasn't that slacking father of yours ever taught you to respect your elders?" 

The doorknob fell out and clattered to the floor. 

Vio wanted in on the action, months of patiently standing idle suddenly coming undone. "Oh yeah, sure, but he never taught me to respect my ancient ancestors, which is the category you fall int-." 

_SMACK!_

The side of Four's face erupted in stinging pain as they were flung to the side, off of their front porch and into the gravel road. They unconsciously held their hands out to break their fall, and a loud crack sounded from their wrist. Rocks sunk into their skin, slicing through the flesh like a cheese grater. Tears sprung to the corners of their eyes as the pain registered, their wrist exploding into sharp stabs of pure torture. 

_BOOM!_

The door to his house blew outwards, splintering into smithereens as eight armed, trained, _angry_ heroes swarmed out of the dwelling and totally mobbed Penelope Bichot. Time held Wind and Wild back by the arms, both his eyes open and glaring ominously at the rich woman. The pirate brandished a knife and screamed while the champion barred his teeth, snarling like a feral beast. 

Twilight had gone missing (but not really), and Wolfie had gone completely nuts, circling the woman like the predator he was, hackles raised and growling. 

Warriors, Sky, and Hyrule had come to attend to Four, the traveler's hands glowing soft yellow as Sky gently formed a splint. Warriors stood above them, a steady guard in the off-chance of danger. 

Out of all the arrow-happy heroes, only Legend actually resorted to physical and verbal violence. The second he'd cleared the front porch, pegasus boots activated, he'd zoomed forwards and nailed Penelope right in the kisser -his full hand of bejeweled rings working as effective knuckledusters. The woman stumbled backwards, holding her probably shattered jawbone as Legend totally _ripped her to shreds_ with his words.

"Listen up here you entitled bitch," Legend loomed over Penelope, despite the fact she was taller. "I've only known you for about five seconds, but I can already tell you are a vile and disgusting excuse for a hylian." 

She hoisted herself up indignantly, opening her mouth and raising her hand for another strike, but a quick sweep to the legs brought her crashing to the ground. Legend sneered. "I can think of several reasons why your husband left you, and I've never even met the man. You wanna hear my list?" 

She shook her head, fear finally registering on her face, and he glared at her. "Too bad. You're gonna hear it anyways, because it seems no one else will tell you. For starters, you're an abusive, stuck up, ugly, vain thing. Any man with at least one single brain cell would be able to tell you that, not that they will, being too afraid of the back of your hand to do so." 

"Second, you're convinced that you're the queen of the world. I've met many people like you, and you know where they are now? Dead. The monsters always love the fat ones." His grin sent shivers down their spine, even though it wasn't directed towards them. It almost made them pity Penelope. Almost. 

Legend smirked, twirling his fire rod in one hand, and the ice rod in another. Her terrified squeak was music to Four's ears, as the heated gem of the fire rod pressed into her heaving bosom, the Hero of Legend snarled. "Well have I got news for you, you fat rotund bitch, the monsters aren't your biggest problem _. I am_." 

The gem pressed harder into her sternum, as Legend leaned down close to her wrinkled face. "You hurt my family, and tried to take me on too. Well here's some news for you, bitch. I'm the _fucking hero of goddam legend_ , and you ain't _jack shit_."

They blinked once, absorbed in watching the show, and realized that someone was talking to them. Sky had his hands on their shoulders, speaking slowly and calmly with only a slight worried undertone. "-ou're okay?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine." They waved off Sky's concern and tried to stand, only to hiss when their wrist throbbed painfully. A traitorous tear ran down their cheek. "Okay, guess not." 

Hyrule placed a potion in their uninjured hand, and waited until he'd drunk it. "Does she do this a lot?" He asked, facial expression getting more worried by the second. 

Oh man, they did _not_ want to open that door right now. 

"Um...Sometimes. Most of the time I stayed inside and avoided her, sometimes for weeks." They smiled sheepishly, "I don't really go out into town much anymore. She likes to sit on her front porch and yell at anyone she sees, and I'm her favorite target." 

"Why?" Sky asked standing up with his fists clenched. His hair shaded his eyes from view, hiding the extent of his anger. "Why would she do that? You're a hero, so why?" 

  
  


"Not to everyone." They shook their head sadly, handing the empty bottle back to Hyrule and letting Warriors pull them to their feet. "Some people think I released Ganon and Vaati on purpose, and that my shadow was actually me. I can't change their minds." 

"But you _didn't_ do that, you aren't evil like they were." Warriors shook his head, releasing them once they'd found their footing.

They shrugged, watching Time release the feral teenagers from his grasp, free to chase a screaming Penelope down the road. The pirate rode on Wolfie's back, while the champion pulled some sort of mechanical horse out of his slate and revved it up with fire in his eyes. 

Sighing, Four shook his head. "I wasn't a hero either, back then. Just a ten-year-old kid who loved his grandpa, and who was in way over his head." 

Legend walked over, rods safely clipped to his belt, and dragged Four to the empty doorway. "Come on, we're going inside, so we don't have to look at that freak of a house any longer."

Four chuckled when they spotted the splintered bits of wood still clinging desperately to their hinges. "What did you guys do to my door?" 

A smirk played on Legend's face as the other heroes began to trickle back inside. "Oh it was _great._ We couldn't break through it, so the Old Man pulled out this mask that looked like a bomb and _blew the door to smithereens_! I swear Wild had stars in his eyes." 

"I wish I could have seen it!" They laughed, "You still owe me a new door, though." 

"Nah, _Time_ owes you a new door. I just watched." 

"I owe who what?" Time asked, ducking his head to get through the low doorframe. 

"You owe Four a new door." 

"Huh, I hadn't noticed." 

Twilight entered soon after, dragging Wind and Wild by the ears. A strange strip of pink fabric hung from the corner of his mouth, which he quickly wiped away. "She's not gonna be back any time soon." 

"Good goddesses Twilight, what did you _do?_ " Warriors asked, grabbing a sheet and two daggers to hang over the open doorframe. 

"She's not dead, if that's what you're asking." Wild shrugged, clipping the Shikah Slate back onto his hip.

"Yeah!" Wind cackled, "Not dead, just traumatized!" 

"And I repeat, _what did you do?"_ Warriors finished digging the second dagger into the wood, holding the bedsheet firmly in place. Normally, Four would be angry that their hard work was being used for such trivial things, but they were prepared to let this one go. For now. 

"Absolutely nothing." Twilight's face was blank as he settled himself down on the couch and propped his feet up. "Nothing she didn't deserve, anyways." 

"That doesn't do much to narrow it down." Sky deadpanned, flopping beside Twilight and pushing his feet off the coffee table. 

"No, it doesn't." Time sighed, "but this isn't the biggest problem at hand. Four?" 

They winced, dreading the next question. "Huh?" 

"What was that?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Why did you sit there and _take it_ like that? You were almost _expecting_ her to hit you." Wind exclaimed, hands waving wildly in the air before he froze. "You... _weren't_ expecting her to hit you...right?"

Their silence said it all. 

"Holy Hylia." Hyrule dropped his head into his hands. "Four, _why?"_

They crossed their arms, avoiding eye contact with everyone, refusing to acknowledge the blush burning on their cheeks. "If I said anything it would just get worse, and no one else ever stepped in to stop her, so I figured I shouldn't care. Hell, my father is a royal guard and he helped her _move in._ Besides, that's only the third time she's actually hit me. I've been through worse, it's not that bad."

" _Only the-_ " Wild took a deep breath, hands pressed together in a praying motion. "Four. She shouldn't have hit you _at all_ , let alone _three times."_

"So? She did, it's done, doesn't matter if she should or shouldn't have." He shrugged, holding himself tighter. "I'll be fine." 

A short silence followed, until Legend broke it with a softly whispered question. "Four...you don't think you deserve it, do you?" 

Their lips pressed together into a thin line, the colors of their mind blurring together and growing just as loud -if not louder- than their very first time in one body. Should they say yes? No? Maybe? Something in between? 

_Did_ they think they deserved it? 

They got four different answers. 

Something wrapped around them, and the colors receded just long enough to realize what had happened. Legend had stood up from his seat on the floor, crossed the room, and wrapped his arms around their shoulders. "What?..."

"Shut up and let me hug you." 

Well, who were they to disobey?

After all, it felt nice to be hugged. The last time they'd been held like this was when Link was ten years old, about to leave his grandpa for the Picori Festival. That was a long time ago.

They didn't know when they started crying. 

"Oh, move over." Warriors shoved Legend to Four's left side, taking the right and joining the embrace. 

"Let me in on this!" Wind took them from behind, resting his face on their shoulder. 

"Scoot!" Hyrule's head occupied his other shoulder. 

"Move it!" Wild and Wolfie laid on their lap. 

"Room for one more?" Sky draped his sailcloth over all of them, pushing Wild to the side to join him on their lap. 

Time said nothing, merely wrapping his long arms around everyone and resting his chin atop their hair. 

A family of minish, not wanting to be left out, hugged his foot lovingly. 

If he'd turned around at that moment, he'd have seen his shadow joining in on the action, wrapping his arms around the dark blob that was their cuddle pile. 

"Four. You did not deserve what that woman put you through. You did not deserve to be send on that godforsaken quest. You did not deserve _any_ of the shit Hylia put you through, and don't let me catch you thinking that." Legend squeezed them tighter. "And if anyone tells you otherwise, get me their name and home address." 

They couldn't do much else other than nod, relishing in the contact of their brothers and trusting them to keep them safe. 

Link might have been broken. Shattered. Splintered into tiny pieces. Gone. But Four, Four wasn't. Four had friends who cared for them. Four had _brothers_ who cared for them.

And all four of Four loved every single one.

**Author's Note:**

> Full disclosure: while writing this, I forgot Ezlo existed. Sorry ;_;


End file.
